Although many companies and brands are cutting back on swag and gifting, a thoughtful present that the recipient will actually use is always appreciated and is still a good way to spread goodwill. Here are some corporate gift ideas—from practical to pretty—to send out this year.
This year's annual holiday party ideas feature is sponsored by Interactive Entertainment Group, a nationwide event production company offering innovative entertainment and technology-driven experiences for corporate events and activations.
Siberian Pine Collection from Carrière Frères
This limited-edition candle collection from Carrière Frères features the woody fragrance of Siberian pine blended with winter rose, smoked wood, and candied ginger to create three distinctive scents ($85 each). Made from 100% vegetable wax from European organic rapeseed, the candles are available in individual vessels or ​​as a trio of small candles ($130) presented in a decorative box.
Photo: Courtesy of Carrière Frères
Tom’s Perfect 10 Holiday Tins
Tom’s Perfect 10, the New York City-based granola brand founded by former advertising executive Tom Bannister, launches limited flavors monthly, providing customers with a scorecard to rate each flavor. Once one achieves “perfect 10” status, it is added to the product lineup. This season, the brand’s Holiday Tins feature some of the best-reviewed flavors, including Black and White Matcha; Flaming Chocolate; Golden Apple Cider; and Mangonada. The limited-edition tin is offered in two sizes (small with four flavors for $74.99 and large with three flavors for $129.99) and is available for nationwide shipping.
Photo: Courtesy of Tom’s Perfect 10
Minted Personalized Bags
Custom bags and accessories from Minted now feature new Italian leather accents and patterns from independent artists. Made with durable cotton, the Snap Tote ($36) includes 22.5-inch Italian leather straps and a brushed copper snap closure. (Pictured: Garden Club design by Angela Marzuki.) Other styles include the Luxe Weekender Bag ($108) and Luxe Fillmore Duffle ($82). Personalization costs $15 and a personalized foil-pressed leather tag, $8.
Photo: Courtesy of Minted
MOO Perpetual Planner
MOO recently launched its Perpetual Planner, a dateless, lay-flat book that’s designed to accommodate an array of planning styles. Because it doesn’t have dates, recipients won’t waste a single page. It comes with a stylish brass or stainless steel calendar clip that bookmarks each page and frames the month, weeks, and days. The planners (starting at $30) include a durable cloth cover in Midnight Blue, Jet Black, Charcoal Grey, or Berry Red, 160 pages spanning 80 weeks, and a flexible layout with grid and lined sections for list-making, sketching, and planning. They can also be customized with your own cover design; pricing starts at $510 for 10 custom planners.
Photo: Courtesy of MOO
Nuts.com GiftDrop
Nuts.com recently launched GiftDrop—gifters can send a build-your-own gift tray experience, allowing one or many recipients to choose their favorite snacks and treats from over 150 products. The gift giver picks the size and type of tray, adds a personalized message, and then hits send. The recipient receives an email to accept the gift and can then select snacks including a variety of fresh nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, sweets, and more. The site also caters to specific dietary needs and preferences, such as gluten-free, kosher, less salt, organic, raw, sugar-free, and vegan. GiftDrop is available in two sizes: the Classic Gift Tray ($59.99) and the Premium Gift Tray ($69.99). Nuts.com ships nationwide.
Photo: Courtesy of Nuts.com
Sugarfina’s Holiday Collection
Luxury candy brand Sugarfina is making the holiday season extra sweet again with three new advent calendars and seasonal Candy Cubes that include Strawberry Champagne Bears, Cranberry Cocktail Bears, Merry Berries, Champagne Bears, and Peppermint Marshmallow Puffs. New this year is the Candy Carousel Advent Calendar ($195), complete with a spinning base, detailed animals, sparkling rechargeable LED lights, and 24 drawers, each containing four pieces of candy (pictured). Plus, Sugarfina’s 8 Nights of Delight Tasting Collection is back with eight Kosher-certified candies.
Photo: Courtesy of Sugarfina
’Tis the Season for Elf-Care Advent Calendar
Eunice Moyle and Sabrina Moyle, the sister team behind the design studio Hello!Lucky, created a self-care squad of elves with seasonal ideas for staying jolly and relaxed through the stress of the holidays. The advent calendar ($19.99) from Workman (an imprint of Workman Publishing, Hachette Book Group) features 24 seasonal suggestions to destress like having a silent night, making your-elf a gift, or going dashing through the snow.
Photo: Courtesy of Workman
Carl Friedrik’s The Anywhere Tote
The Anywhere Tote ($480) from luxury leather and travel goods company Carl Friedrik can be used as both a shopping tote and a laptop bag and features a unique zipper locking system that runs down the side for easy access to essentials. As part of the company's new Rover collection, the versatile nubuck leather tote includes functional features such as a 16-inch laptop compartment, a large zipped pocket, and three open fabric pockets. It comes in charcoal, olive, black, and chocolate.
Photo: Courtesy of Carl Friedrik
NFTs from DLISH
In addition to gift boxes and immersive epicurean experiences, gifting company DLISH now offers NFTs, allowing companies to gift branded non-fungible tokens with unlockable content. The NFTs can also be used as tickets to enjoy experiences in the metaverse. DLISH first consults with companies about their brand story and, based on that, designs an NFT that can be gifted to clients, colleagues, and others. The unlockable content is presented as a link that’s an object, an experience, or a discount code. Essentially, each NFT is a gift within a gift. DLISH also provides recipients with instructions on creating a Metamask wallet.
Photo: Courtesy of DLISH
Sweet Reads Box
Launched in the U.S. last year, Canada-based Sweet Reads Box monthly subscription service features curated items and gourmet goodies that tie to a specific novel. For example, Lessons in Chemistry, whose main character hosts a beloved TV cooking show, comes with a dish towel, instant coffee, a lemon square, and more (pictured). Select a monthly subscription (one-, three-, six-, and 12-month subscriptions are available), or choose from the limited-edition boxes. Pricing starts at $60 per box.
Photo: Courtesy of Sweet Reads Box
WIRTH Hats
WIRTH Hats, a Vancouver-based social venture, encourages companies to invest in employee mental health through corporate partnerships including co-branded hats, which range in price from $45-$60 per hat; a portion goes toward supporting counseling and therapy for those who would otherwise be unable to afford it. Along with a hat, companies can also give a counseling session through WIRTH’s one-for-one program; this option costs $99 and covers a counseling session for someone in need. Companies can also book the WIRTH team for wellness events and workshops to share the brand’s story with employees, while discussing steps toward achieving a work environment that encourages conversations about and provides resources to address mental health.
Photo: Courtesy of WIRTH
The NYBG Subscription from BloomsyBox
Each month, BloomsyBox’s New York Botanical Garden flower subscription box ($69.99 monthly) arrives with a new, seasonal, hand-crafted bouquet curated with NYBG’s floral experts. Also included is a special-edition, collectable postcard with archival botanical illustrations from NYBG’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library and flower food to prolong the bouquet’s vase life. A percentage of each purchase supports NYBG’s work in plant science and conservation, horticulture, and education. BloomsyBox currently delivers nationwide, except Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Photo: Courtesy of BloomsyBox
Levain Bakery Holiday Tin
For the first time, Levain Bakery has launched an exclusive holiday tin to house their decadent cookies. Featuring whimsical holiday vignettes, designed by illustrator Libby Vanderploeg, the festive container ($15, excludes cost of the cookies) is available both in store and online, starting in mid-November. Offerings will include eight of the holiday flavor, Dark Chocolate Peppermint; eight of Levain’s Signature Assortment (Chocolate Chip Walnut, Two Chip Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin); or four Dark Chocolate Peppermint and a four-pack of the Signature Assortment. Levain Bakery cookies are available to ship nationwide via levainbakery.com and through DoorDash. For corporate gifting, Levain offers 10% off all orders of $1,000 or more. In addition to the current 10 bakeries in New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston, Levain is expanding to Chicago and LA this year.
Photo: Courtesy of Levain Bakery
Slice Cutting Tools
Perhaps it’s not the sexiest holiday gift, but your events team (and their fingers) will thank you for these handy tools that can be used for breaking down cardboard boxes and more. Slice’s Best Sellers Bundle ($38.99, pictured) includes the Manual Box Cutter with a protective ergonomic handle, the EDC Folding Knife, and the Safety Cutter with a micro-ceramic blade. The cutters feature proprietary "Finger-Friendly" blades made from zirconium oxide, which means they’ll never rust and last 11.2 times longer than traditional metal blades. Plus, they feature an ambidextrous design and utilize a shorter cutting edge so the blade won’t damage what’s inside the package.
Photo: Courtesy of Slice
Tronsmart’s Bang Mini
Tronsmart shrunk its best-selling Bang Speaker to create the Bang Mini ($89.99)—a portable speaker with seven neon-colored lights. It’s waterproof, lightweight, and offers 15 hours of playtime plus NFC pairing and Bluetooth 5.3 technology to connect to devices within 49 feet. You can also switch between pulsing and circling modes of neon-colored lights to create an instant party vibe for impromptu gatherings.
Photo: Courtesy of Tronsmart
